Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where do people in your community gather or socialize?
  - How and where does your community access services (healthcare, transportation, educational services, etc.)?

Examples of activities and services: Shopping areas, schools and universities, libraries, parks, lakes, rivers, places of worship, healthcare services, public transport, local nonprofit organizations, etc.

Your response: As implied by the name of the neighborhood, Crotona Park is the most defining feature of Crotona Park East. That is the place you go to get away from people. Barbershops, bodegas, delis, hair salons, churches, pharmacies, and mechanics are the easiest businesses to find in the area. The primary method of public transit is the overground 2/5 train line along with seven bus routes that service the community, although that number is set to reduce to six given the MTA’s plan to streamline bus services across NYC.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What are the cultural bonds in your community?
  - If your community has a shared history, what is it?

Examples of cultural or historical interests: Religious groups, ethnic groups, languages, age groups, immigration status, historic or arts districts, etc.

Your response: The demography of Crotona Park East is about 2/3rd hispanic and 1/3rd black with small but growing white and asian populations each around 1%. Along with the rest of the Bronx, it is also more religious on average than NYC as a whole; a larger percentage of its population identifying as christian. It is also younger on average than NYC as a whole, with roughly a quarter of the people living here being under the age of 18. Crotona Park East was the epicenter of the arson epidemic in the south bronx during the 70s which destroyed 80% of the housing market. The renewal project that followed created a slice of suburbia.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where are residents employed?
  - If there are environmental concerns in your community, what are they?

Examples of economic or environmental interests: Tourism industry, agricultural workers, mining town, manufacturing center, polluted natural resource, unemployment problem, etc.

Your response: Despite the rapid developments, the area still lags behind the rest of the city in several indicators: crime, poverty, education, unemployment, cleanliness, air pollution, health, obesity, substance abuse; all worse off than the average of NYC as a whole. What’s more, all of the city’s largest job centers lay at least an hour away via train ride. While substantial progress has been made in the past few decades on all those fronts, more work certainly remains to be done.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What should politicians and/or map drawers know about your community?
  - What are the needs of your community?
  - Is there anything else you want to tell us about your community?

Examples of needs or concerns: Keep community in the same district or separate into multiple districts, shared policy concerns, need for a social service, relationship to other nearby communities, issues with current district lines

Your response: The development of the area has largely been a success story, albeit one that if community and governmental leaders aren’t careful could displace the very people this community has served for decades. Gentrification comes with as many cons as it does pros, depending on who you ask, and there is no doubt that this community is gentrifying before our eyes. While Crotona Park East is riding the wave of progress, we need to make sure it doesn’t get swept up by the tide.